You're listening to Only the Best Herbs.
Welcome to Only the Best Herbs, a podcast where the ancient wisdom of herbal healing
meets the groundbreaking discoveries of now, 2024.
Today I am joined by a very special guest, Kathy Guastella.
Hi Kathy, how are you doing today?
I'm good, how are you Ryan?
I'm doing fantastic.
So, I wanted to get to know you a little bit better.
We know we have a microphone at the New Baltimore Trade Center.
We talk on a regular, I would say, and keep up.
How do you consider us friends?
I appreciate everything that you have, the tips and just being there and all that good
stuff.
Absolutely, I appreciate you having me today.
For sure.
So, tell me a little bit about yourself.
What exactly do you do as far as your business?
My business, I've been doing, well, with the essential oil part of it, I've been doing
it about 14 years.
When I retired from my day job, I went to Gibraltar Trade Center and opened up like
a little shop there.
I had essential oils and salt lamps and things like that.
When the trade center closed, I opened up another little place in St. Clair Shores and
salt lamps weren't really selling anymore because at that point, everything, they were
pretty saturated, Home Depot had them and really cheap.
So, when I opened up at the New Baltimore Trade Center, I decided I came in with one
little box of crystals, tumbles, and everybody wanted more crystals.
I knew enough about them for my own personal use, not enough to guide people or help share
them or whatever.
In five years that I've been there now, that's the bulk of my sales as the crystals.
Originally I started essential oils about 20 years ago.
19 years ago, I went to France and studied there.
They've basically been my medicine.
I don't use, very rarely do I go to the doctor.
I just try a holistic approach to living.
Just try to be as clean as I can as far as avoiding chemicals.
That's a big thing right now and it's a big adjustment for a lot of people.
It's kind of been a trending thing lately, which is cool to see.
A lot of things that I've been getting involved, it's really where a lot of things that I've
gotten involved in in the past, since I started my business, have really picked up.
It's definitely cool to be a part of that and you have definitely been a part of that
for the last, what, two decades, right?
I was like a pioneer.
Exactly my point.
There was very few places you could reach out to here in Michigan that 28 years ago.
I grow and learn and change as I'm learning more and more and trying different products.
Essential oils will always be a factor.
I've added crystals now more, but just doing supplements, things like that.
I try them if they work, I keep them if they don't work.
Then I move on and try something else, which is, I never really did the CBD until I met
you.
Yeah, really?
I did try it here and there with some other people, but it just didn't work, where I find
the products that you have worked the most.
I appreciate that.
I incorporate that in with the essential oils and my supplements that I take.
That's awesome.
You usually see results, right?
You feel a bit more calm, you feel a little bit more balanced?
Absolutely.
Well, mostly when I do the CBD is at night and helps me to sleep a little better.
Even though the essential oils work, your body every day is something different going
on.
You have to incorporate and mix and do other things too.
It's not a one-stop solution, especially when you're dealing with holistic products.
It's not like, oh, here, take this painkill, you're not going to have any pain.
People don't understand that.
No.
Because they want the quick fix.
That's what they've been taught and that's what they've been used to.
When you start a holistic journey, you have to do what feels good in here and here.
That's the way I think about it.
If it makes sense to both areas, to my heart and my thoughts, then that's what my guiding
forces.
Yeah.
That's really awesome.
When I got to the New Baltimore Trade Center and when we met, you or somebody I gravitated
towards because I could tell that we had a common interest or a common goal.
It was refreshing.
It was refreshing to see because I don't normally see, I don't see anything like that
around my area.
We live in a Metro Detroit area.
There are cannabis and dispensaries all over the place.
Around the Detroit area, there is a dispensary effort.
If not every mile, even less.
Let's say eight mile, for example, all the way down eight mile, dispensary, dispensary,
dispensary, dispensary.
Because people are now looking for health, they're looking for to get high.
Right.
That's it.
When you're masking your feelings, it's not health.
I will say TXC is a cannabinoid.
People take it to the 30th power, the 100th power.
They're just sitting around all day and they're just going somewhere else.
They're going to a playground function.
A TDC cannabis definitely has a lot of medicinal properties.
Absolutely.
When you're incorporating it with the other cannabinoids.
Right.
You're going to get the full spectrum or what do you call it, the entourage effect.
Yes.
They're definitely, I believe 100% of TAC would like for a reason you just said this.
If you take too much CBD, you're going to go to sleep.
But getting back to you and the crystals, why exactly did you start working on crystals?
Well I've, like I said, I knew a little bit about them just enough for my own self, like
for calming, energetic, meditating, things like that.
When I opened up more into it and started to learn more about it, it just makes sense
that it's going to function on another level as far as.
There's like a human connection to it.
Yes.
Very, there you can feel it.
Well it's part of the earth as our plants.
So therefore you have your, you know, your CBD, you have your TAC, you have essential
oils.
So you're plant based.
And now the rocks now are becoming a mineral base.
And what are our bodies?
They're not plants.
They're organic.
We had minerals.
So all those things are going to incorporate in function, I think, together.
A different level than just one isolated.
The people that are just using CBD might benefit more if they incorporate some of the crystals
or some of the meditation in with that and maybe a little bit of the cannabis or mushroom
or whatever.
You can only do try one thing at a time and see how it affects more each item.
You can't just say, I'm going to try all these things now once.
If you don't know what's working, then you can do that.
Absolutely.
You got like this, you got like all these effects going on.
And because, you know, I like them all and I do know a lot of people who eventually get
to that point, oh, THC.
But I, and then they go, here, there, there, and I completely agree with that.
Well you have to decide for yourself what is going to help and benefit you.
Another thing that I incorporate is the Reiki, the energy work, and definitely crystals amplify
that.
I have several different crystals that I use for myself when I do a self Reiki or a client
will come in and I'll have them hold one or another or place them on their body, you
know, depending on if I'm doing a home where I go to the home with my table and do energy
work that way, I can place crystals on.
I can't really do that.
They're sitting up in a chair at my shop.
So when you're, when you're doing these, you know, this meditation with the crystals
and you're, you know, you're trying to clear your mind and you're trying to get to that
balance state, right?
Can you, can you kind of explain to me what that feels like?
Like when you're, when you're doing it?
It's kind of almost like an outer body experience.
Sometimes I feel radiant.
Like it's radiating out of me.
Other times I feel like I'm bringing in the life force and it kind of like just settles
you.
That makes sense.
Depending on what, you know, what crystal or what you're meditating on or what you know,
maybe you're intending or what you want to have.
Right.
Manifestations, I can say.
Yeah, absolutely.
You can use crystals for manifestation.
I believe that it's kind of like the, what you dwell on is what you get.
So if you, if you dwell on more negativity, you're going to get more negativity.
If you want to dwell on more positive, more enlightening, more enriching, it's going to
work that way for you too.
I don't believe you.
And that's something that takes, I would say practice.
It takes consistency.
Meditating also does take practice.
When I first started, I'm like, I don't know, I'm doing this right.
You think you're supposed to be quiet and that hear things.
Well, that's not the case.
Your thoughts are going to come in and go out and have been tied and flow continually
through the whole meditating process.
When I first was learning how to meditate, I was learning with this guy that I took
raking through and he lived in an apartment in Royal Oak.
Well, we're right off Woodward.
We're here in all this noise.
I'm like, how can we meditate?
Trust me, it took a couple of tries before I was able to really just let it all go and
take it all in.
For those who don't know about Woodward in Michigan, Woodward is one of the main roads
that goes in and out of Detroit.
There's a lot of, you will find if you go a few miles, either way, it's the whole scenery
of the Metro Detroit area or what you're doing or where you're going is always, it's
just very, how do you say, diverse.
You get this good and you've got the bad on both.
Very good way of doing it.
It's loud.
You hear doors, you hear people.
Living in an apartment complex, you hear doors and people and smells, people cooking.
It was hard.
It was at first.
If you can get into that environment and get what you need to take out of it, that on his
plane where he was at, it was amazing.
That's awesome.
You got to learn from somebody like that, the channel.
That kind of gets me to my next point about people who have been doing this for 10, 15,
20 years.
Those people need, not need, but I'm seeing more people educating how to do that because
you're deciding that you're like, hey, I want to start doing this and you just try and you
have no idea how, like you said, it's definitely important to have someone to talk to, an instructor,
I don't want to say a consultant, but someone who teaches you how to do it.
A guy.
Exactly.
I would definitely encourage anyone who is looking into essential oils or who is looking
at the crystals to reach out to Kathy.
Kathy, go ahead, give us your information.
Well I don't really have a website.
I tried that.
It just doesn't work for me.
I'm old school.
You can find me on Facebook, Katzy Central's.
It's all one word.
You can find me on Google.
I get a lot of people finding me on Google.
Just search holistic or metaphysical and I am located in New Baltimore at the New Baltimore
Trade Center, Katzy Central's and you'll find me on those social media sites.
You got a phone number possibly?
Yes.
It's Erico586-868-3420.
It texts me because sometimes if I don't recognize a number, I don't answer it.
Right.
It's spam.
Yeah, absolutely.
So text me first if you have any questions or you can email me to katgues.comcast.net.
Sweet.
We're going to take a quick break.
Don't go anywhere.
You're listening to Only the Best Here.
So now we're going to have to talk about your path again.
So we're going to talk about that.
I think we, okay.
So tell us about what got you into alternative and natural medicine or central oils.
Well in 1995, we had moved and I get a call from my doctor that I need more testing and
I was essentially diagnosed with breast cancer.
And the first thing that we discussed was a lumpctomy to make sure that it was cancerous.
And that's what they did.
They did a lumpctomy.
They found clear margins.
It hadn't gone into the lymph nodes.
So all they recommended was this drug called Tamaxapen, which they told me was a hormone
blocker because the cancer was estrogen positive.
So I agreed to take that.
And then about 18 months later, they said I had a reoccurrence, which let me back that
up a little bit.
About a year after being on the Tamaxapen, I couldn't take that I was having such severe
migraines.
So they took me on.
And then about another eight months later, when I went back to my mammogram, they saw
something suspicious.
So they did a lumpctomy and said yes, the cancer reoccurred.
Well, if it hadn't gone into my lymph nodes, my thought was it was there before they just
didn't see it, which is a possibility.
It was so small.
But then now they wanted to do chemo after they did remove the breast.
Well, when they did the surgery they found there was no cancer in the lymph nodes yet
again.
So in my mind, I'm thinking, well, if there's no cancer in my body, why would I want to do
chemo?
And the reason I went that way is because a friend of mine borrowed me a book called
Cancer and Battle Plan.
And in that book, it talked a lot about chemo because it was written by a guy who was white.
It had gone through all that.
And I did some studies and some research and I just, that's not the way I want to go.
So I got into more holistic stuff.
The book said to find a massage therapist.
So that's the first thing I did.
And when I got to her location where she was doing the massage, she had a whole, you
know, holistic store setup basically.
She had a tilation therapy.
She had colonics, vitamin therapy, yoga, Tai Chi.
She had a multitude of different kinds of natural ways of your body functioning.
So also she was doing Reiki, which is the energy work, and then she just started getting
into the essential oils.
And then to about ten years after that, we went to France.
She invited me to go with her there to study.
So that's really what got me more into the essential oils.
I have, I can tell you maybe five times since probably 1998 that I've been to her after.
Yes.
That is definitely admirable because I don't think 99% of the population would go there
out.
And that's awesome.
That's awesome.
Well, if you give your body what it needs, it can take care of itself.
That's the way I look at it.
And giving it what it needs is plugging.
It's like if you're taking a medication that's synthetic, or if you're using synthetic products,
that's like trying to fit a square plug into a round hole.
It might go in, but it's going to seal a leak.
You got an algae, I like that.
Your body can't function unless you're giving it what it needs, what it requires or what
it can respond to, what it recognizes.
Who would you say would respond to that?
Anything that I believe that the earth provides us, whether it's plant or mineral.
And if you're surrounded by pollution, you have to detox that pollution out.
Environment is everything.
Environment is the most important factor in my opinion.
You know, people who are right.
Anyone who thinks that plays a major role in their life, but if you have structure growing
up and you have people who you can alternative medicines and growing up, you're most likely
going to grow up to be kind of having those same morals and the same ethics and the same
thought process as you did with your life because you learned those, you know, that
time of your life and your child is really when you learn all those key beliefs.
That's why I think it's important that we do things like this and we have conversations
like this and people watch and listen to things like this because I think it's something
that is completely pushed on to the rough.
So well, if you think about it, big pharma has taken control of our health.
And what doctors are taught, they've taken control of that.
They've gotten away from the holistic approaches and more into the medications that are sympathetic
to what they've done and they really don't, I'm not saying all doctors, but they don't
think beyond the box.
It was the school they learned this and they stay in that box.
That's it.
Yeah.
Doctors, when you go to, let's say you go to a gastro doctor, right?
If you try talking about anything else that's outside of gastro, we can get into a spot.
But what's up to that?
No one's going to give you a recommendation on something they don't specialize in, but
they're going to try to convince you that their way is good.
Yeah.
And a lot of these medications out there are actually inspired by plant medicine.
Well, that's where they get their meat, but then they sympathize it and turn in synthetics
that your bodies are not going to recognize.
So they're jockeying, pardon my French, they're jockeying off the plant world and turning
it into something that it's not.
Right.
And profiting on it.
It did, yeah.
There's a big profit in that.
So it's just funny how the world works and we just need to take the stuff backwards here
in my opinion.
Obviously things are going to change overnight and people will probably think the loudest
stuff I say in bullshit and a lot of stuff you say in bullshit.
And that's okay.
They're priceless.
That's okay.
That's okay to think that because your lifestyle choices, for example, I take CBD every day.
I feel pretty fucking good.
I feel pretty good.
You have, and I have crystals here in the house.
I don't practice like rakey or anything, but that's something I would definitely be
open to as well.
And we talked about not knowing how to use crystals, for example, and that goes with
all other alternative medicines.
You don't know really enough about CBD or use it the right way or you don't know enough
about this to use it the right way.
So there's always, you always want to, I don't want to use the word consult, but you always
want to have a guide in your adventure.
You want to have a guide that teaches you the right way to do things.
And that's kind of where you come in, I would say, as well, having 20 plus years of experience
doing that, going to France to study on more of it.
I mean, this is a real thing.
This isn't something that, it's not a hobby.
No.
And I think that's something that people get mixed up in.
This isn't something that you do on the side.
This is a lifestyle choice.
It's a lifestyle makeover.
And you don't just learn it in one episode.
It's like turn your TV on and watch a TV episode.
Like I said, I'd evolved.
I didn't just start.
I didn't just get to where I am after 20 plus years in one week.
It usually takes people, I think, to go through an event, kind of like you had mentioned in your past,
to really evaluate what is best for them.
Do you want to live?
Do you not care?
That's kind of like the choices.
You can choose to trust your doctor.
You can choose to do whatever you believe.
But at the end of the day, kind of like we had mentioned, all of these practices had to have originated from somewhere.
And that's where we're at.
And that's what you offer.
That's what you offer.
You offer a different way to do things.
And that's different than what the rest of you offer.
And as Jon talked about, if you can just use yourella in your house or in the hotel room for a day,
then that's the way you're allowed to drive around.
That's where actors go back in and sit in the pool with their orientation.
Say, you died.
I can't understand.
Try not to.
Yeah.
It's a lifestyle change.
And I just, that's the way I choose when I first got into it all.
My son was nine years old when I was diagnosed.
He needed his mother to be here.
For sure.
You know.
I've been fortunate.
And I just wanted to be able to help and share and get the word out there that there
is a better way.
For sure.
I agree with that.
Of course.
Absolutely.
Just kind of wanting to remind our listeners and our viewers that CAT is always available.
How about you share our information with us one more time?
Yep.
You can reach out to me on Facebook.
It's CATS Essentials.
It's all one word.
You can find me on Google, same place.
CATS Essentials.
You can Google alternative or metaphysical shots near me.
I'm located in New Baltimore, Michigan.
And you can also find me on email.
It's K-A-T-G-U-A-S at Comcast.net.
And my phone number is 586-868-3420.
I do recommend if you want to speak with me, text me first because I don't always answer
the phone.
If I don't recognize it.
A lot of times I will call that number back, but it doesn't say spam on my phone.
I want to point out that CAT has a lot of different hudish crystals, a lot of different
shapes, a lot of different minerals, a lot of different crystal stones.
So, ways to do that, you have your Reiki and the chocolate.
What do you call that?
The Reiki Energy Mark?
Yeah, where are you wearing that on your neck right there?
This is Learmark and this is Apple Marine.
These are both very calming and they bring a sense of balance from nature through water.
That's my interpretation.
I knew that I would be speaking and I wanted to be able to reflect in a positive way my
feelings.
A lot of times I can't speak public.
I get tongue tight.
So, this kind of helps.
I can definitely see that.
My whole thing doing with this podcast is comfortability and being a center of the
community.
And I think it's a safe place for people to open up about their past, open up about alternative
medicines and how it's helped them and how it's affected them because without these success
stories and without these people putting in the work to make this happen, we are ever
going to see any type of change.
We are going to see things going in a different direction.
We might not have more pioneers in this world to help make those changes.
So, keeping the flow going.
This isn't an easy thing.
I would not say this is the easiest market to be in at all.
Because us as a business owner or the message we're trying to convey to people is not something
that they're used to hearing.
It's foreign.
And, you know.
Well, there's different parts of the United States where it's more acceptable.
Because it's been around a lot longer.
And like I said, back in 95, there was nothing here in Michigan very few and far and in between.
The Royal Oak, we talked about that city.
They probably had a few things going on there.
Charlotte Irwin was the grace of God that sent me to her because it opened up a whole
new world of opportunity.
I am the one that chose to learn more.
She offered some of the experience.
But I went over, you know, I just followed what made sense to me.
I'm not sure if we missed this or not.
But another important thing, I'm going to have you explain this again, is the feeling you
get when practicing meditation and practicing with these crystals.
You know.
Yeah.
Well, you feel, sometimes it feels like an outer body experience.
Like you're looking at somebody else.
But you're really not.
You're internalizing it and you're feeling it as if you're somebody else.
Wow.
Like.
But this takes strength.
Right.
Absolutely.
Yeah.
Again, in the book that my friend gave me, he said, did practice meditation.
So I went and got some, back then it was just cassette tape.
There was no CDs or anything.
No USB or LOOT.
Yeah, no.
Well, they had self-guided meditation.
And I found one called the healing waterfall.
What that does, it takes you through a guided meditation where you're seeing all these different
colors and you're healing your body visually by visualizing it in your mind.
Intended.
Yes.
And I did that every night before I went to bed or sometimes I would just sit in the chair
and put it on and listen to it.
And in fact, when I had my second surgery going in, I brought that headset with me and
they let me have it in.
Now, whether they took it off for me or not, I don't know.
But when I came out of the sedation, I had the headset back on and the music was playing.
That's really cool story.
I mean, it sucks for you, but you know, that's like a very, it shows your beliefs.
Yeah.
It shows how passionate you are about it, how much you believe in it.
I believe in it.
I think, I mean, they have exactly what you're talking about sounds from nature that help,
you know, you're talking about how people get green noise.
That's all part of it.
It's included with meditation, I would think.
Yeah.
And the hospital thought I was crazy because I brought in my juices that I had used and
they didn't care.
They used that egg.
Go ahead.
What I'm going to float your boat.
Yeah, they did.
I was surprised.
So, kind of to wrap things up a little bit.
I wanted to thank you for coming on the show.
I wanted to highlight your, I think in my professional opinion, Southeast Michigan area,
you are very, you were very, I would say very respected as a crystal person in the area.
A lot of people know me.
A lot of people have bought crystals from you.
You have an extensive collection of crystals available, things to practice.
I even got myself the Tree of Life board.
Yeah.
Absolutely.
I got a beacon of hope in my business right now.
It attracts good energy and a lot of different things going on.
I will tell you, when I'm in here, I feel at home, I feel good.
I'm not sure if that's just the energy I'm putting out or if it's a combo of the bowls
or, you know, but, you know, this business is my safe space.
I'm glad that you get to be a part of this.
I wanted people to hear your story.
Very inspirational.
Thank you.
And I think you deserve to tell it.
Thank you so much.
Just wanted to thank everyone for listening.
I would recommend anybody who is interested in learning more about any of the things that
we've talked about in this episode to reach out to Kathy.
I consult with Kathy when I get new crystals.
If I have anything, any questions, she always helps me out.
I ask her for advice.
I urge you to do the same thing.
She's only called, emailed away.
You don't see me at New Baltimore Trades Center?
Yeah.
That's the essentials.
I'm on a shaft number 108.
I'm in the front doors.
Turn to the right and I'm on the left.
I've been there and I'm the last one to be there again.
So we'll wrap it up.
Anything else you have to say?
No.
Just thank you for having me and I appreciate you thinking about me to come on the show.
It will not be a laugh.
Well, thank you.
So, appreciate everyone for listening.
Feel free to reach out to us with your experience questions or even just to say hello.
Until next time, take care of yourself and one another.
Embrace the power of nature.
Stay curious, stay inspired and most importantly, stay connected.
It's been a pleasure to be part of your day today.
You think you have what it takes to be only the best?
Reach out to us.
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